IGN predicts some things mayor may not happen. No Crash Bandicoot and probably Naruto. We will see.

Welcome to the first edition of IGN Wii’s Rumor Roundup. With Nintendo’s new generation console looming on the horizon, more and more publishers and developers are beginning to take notice, and as a result there’s more buzz, more news, and inevitably more rumors. In the article below, we take a look at some of the most persistent rumors floating around the Wii community and let readers know whether to believe them or to dismiss them once and for all. As always, readers are asked to note that in the videogame industry, nothing is ever final, and therefore what’s true today may prove be false tomorrow.

Rumor: Excite Truck will launch with Nintendo Wii later this year

Our recommendation: Believe it

Although never officially confirmed as a launch title by Nintendo, sources indicate that the company is hoping to ready Excite Truck for a debut alongside Wii later this year. A two-level demo of the game was one of the most advanced at the Wii booth during E3 2006 last May. Apparently developer Monster Games is further along with the effort than Nintendo has made public.

Rumor: Crash Bandicoot unofficially announced for Wii by Vivendi
Our recommendation: Dismiss it

The rumor started shortly after a Vivendi-held European games summit. Within hours, an overseas website was reporting that Crash Bandicoot would hit Wii sometime in 2007. We called Vivendi for clarification and it turns out that the rumor is false. During a question and answer session, a Vivendi representative was apparently asked about next generation development and replied loosely that the publisher was looking into all consoles. The rumor snowballed from there. A Vivendi spokesperson flatly denied the Crash Bandicoot Wii rumor, calling it “rubbish.”

Rumor: Naruto to Wii

Our recommendation: Believe it

The Naruto: Clash of Ninja 3D fighting games have performed remarkably well on GameCube, both in Japan and in America. The first game in the series debuted in the states earlier this year and the second one is on the way. However, there are two additional Naruto fighters already available in Japan. Sources indicate that going forward these titles are much more likely to be re-tooled and optimized for Wii before they ever make their stateside debut.

Rumor: Leipzig Games Convention to house playable Wii games
Our recommendation: Believe it

The Leipzig Games Convention kicks off this August and we already know of a couple publishers who are planning to show off their Wii games in playable form. In fact, one or more of the games have never been shown in playable form before. At the very least, the show would seem to be on track to showcase a bigger Wii presence than previously suspected.

Rumor: 20-30 Virtual Console games for system launch

Our recommendation: Believe it

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One of the big questions surrounding the Wii launch is, of course, exactly how many Virtual Console games might be available for download. According to insiders, Nintendo and its officially announced partners are collectively working hard to prepare somewhere between 20 and 30 classics. The games themselves will represent some big hits from the NES, S-NES, TurboGrafx 16 and SEGA Genesis platforms. It is not yet known if other publishers will have Virtual Console games ready in time for the launch of Wii later this year. Nor is it known if Nintendo or third parties will choose to showcase their original Virtual Console efforts at launch.